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world news Diahuebs 28 OctOber 2021

EU court tells Poland to pay $1.2M a day in judicial dispute

(AP) — The European mine judicial independence.
Union raised the stakes De Croo on Wednesday tar-
Wednesday in a standoff Poland’s deputy justice min- geted Morawiecki, who ac-
with Poland over judicial ister, Michal Wojcik, hinted cused the EU of threatening
independence and the that Poland may not respect “World War III” for insisting
primacy of EU law, with the European court’s deci- that Poland should respect
the bloc’s top court fining sion once again, arguing that the independence of the ju-
Poland $1.2 million a day it’s not a proper ruling and diciary and the primacy of
to prevent what it called has “no legal basis” because EU law. The Belgian prime
“serious and irreparable the court allegedly acted out- minister said his Polish coun-
harm” to the EU’s legal side its jurisdiction. terpart was “playing with fire
order and values. when waging war with your
Radoslaw Fogiel, a spokes- European colleagues for in-
The European Court of Jus- man for Poland’s national- ternal political reasons.”
tice imposed the penalty after ist ruling party, brushed the
a weeklong war of words in penalties off, saying Poland’s The comments follow years
which Poland told the EU contribution into the EU of disputes over changes that
to stay out of its judicial af- coffers is much larger than Poland’s right-wing govern- are going to defend our rights with the nation’s Constitu-
fairs while other EU nations that. ment has made to the coun- with any weapons which are tion. The court stacked with
insisted that Warsaw could try’s courts. The EU believes at our disposal.” ruling party loyalists gave its
not continue to get huge EU Overall, however, EU figures the changes erode democrat- opinion after Morawiecki
subsidies while disregarding show that Poland is a net re- ic checks and balances, and The interview did not go asked it to decide on whether
the bloc’s democratic prin- cipient of 12 billion euros the European Commission down well with Morawiecki’s EU or national law has pri-
ciples at will. ($14 billion) a year from the is holding up billions of eu- EU colleagues. macy.
bloc. ros earmarked for Poland in a
“You cannot pocket all the pandemic recovery plan. “You are playing a dangerous The fine imposed on
money but refuse the val- The point of contention is game,” De Croo said. “This Wednesday comes on top of
ues,” Belgian Prime Minis- the Disciplinary Chamber of Wednesday’s decision also is about the overwhelming a 500,000 euro daily fine that
ter Alexander De Croo said the Supreme Court, a body comes on the heels of an EU majority of member states — the Court of Justice ordered
Wednesday, warning Poland that the ruling party em- summit, where Polish argu- from the Baltics to Portugal Poland last month to pay for
not to treat the EU like “a powered to discipline judges. ments that its fundamental — who agree our Union is having ignored its injunction
cash machine.” Many Polish judges view the judicial changes would not a union of values, not a cash to close the Turow brown
chamber as a tool to pressure undermine the EU failed to machine.” coal mine. The ruling came
The Court of Justice decided judges to rule in favor of the convince key bloc leaders. in a dispute between Poland
to syphon off some of that governing authorities. Poland’s nationalist ruling and the Czech Republic.
money, saying the daily fine Among them was French party, Law and Justice, has
was “necessary in order to In July, the European Court President Emmanuel Ma- been in conflict with Brussels Poland argues it cannot do
avoid serious and irreparable of Justice ordered the sus- cron, who met with Polish since winning power in 2015 without the 7% of its energy
harm to the legal order of the pension of the disciplinary President Andrzej Duda in over a number of matters, in- that the Turow power plant is
European Union and to the chamber, but it is still operat- Paris on Wednesday. cluding migration and LGBT generating. Morawiecki has
values on which that Union ing. rights. The longest running indicated Poland is prepared
is founded, in particular that Morawiecki’s recalcitrance dispute, however, has cen- to pay, and can afford it.
of the rule of law.” Polish Prime Minister Ma- crystalized in an interview tered on the Polish govern-
teusz Morawiecki told the with the Financial Times ment’s attempts to take po- Due to the disputes, there is
The EU’s executive com- European Parliament last over the weekend. When litical control of the judiciary. a possibility that Poland will
mission had requested the week that the chamber will asked if Poland could re- not be getting 36 billion eu-
penalty until the Polish gov- be abolished, but he gave no taliate by using its EU veto The matter came to a head ros ($42 billion) in EU funds
ernment acts to improve the precise time for when that power to block legislation on earlier this month when Po- earmarked for recovery from
functioning of the Polish Su- would take place. Wojcik said climate issues, for instance, land’s constitutional court the pandemic as long as it
preme Court and suspends the proper legislation will Morawiecki said: “If they ruled that some key parts of does not change its ways.
new laws deemed to under- come in “due time.” start the third World War, we EU law are not compatible

France threats to block British fishing boats from ports

(AP) — France announced Wednesday that frayed. The French ministers for Europe and for maritime
it will bar British fishing boats from some affairs said in a joint statement Wednesday that if
French ports starting next week if no deal is France vehemently protested the decision last no agreement is reached by Nov. 2, France will
reached with the U.K. in a dispute over fish- month by the U.K. and the Channel Island of Jer- bar British fishing boats from designated ports and
ing licenses — and suggested it may restrict sey to refuse dozens of French fishing boats a li- tighten customs, security and other controls on any
energy supplies to the Channel Islands as well. cense to operate in their territorial waters. France British boats and trucks traveling between France
considers the restrictions as contrary to the post- and Britain.
Since the U.K. left the economic orbit of the Eu- Brexit agreement that the British government
ropean Union at the start of the year, relations be- signed when it left the EU. Dozens of other French And then in the coming weeks, France said that it
tween London and Paris have become increasingly fishing boats did get such a license. “doesn’t exclude” measures targeting energy sup-
plies to Britain, the statement said. Attal specified
Jersey, which is only 14 miles (22 kilometers) off that meant the Channel Islands, which are closer to
the French coast, is a British Crown dependency French shores than British ones and rely heavily on
outside of the U.K. As such, it has its own powers electricity supplied by the French grid.
with regards to who is allowed to fish in its ter-
ritorial waters. It has granted licenses based on its “We have worked with the British, we gave them
interpretation of the U.K.-EU trade deal, and has all the requested data, documents, information to
accused France of acting disproportionately. back these (license) requests,” Attal said. “Our pa-
After weeks of negotiations, British authorities tience has reached its limits today.”
have issued more fishing licenses but that still only
accounts for 50% of what France believes it “is en- The French government also asked the EU for
titled to,” French government spokesman Gabriel Europe-wide efforts to force Britain to honor its
Attal said Wednesday. alleged commitments under the Brexit deal.